SOUTH POLE STATION ANTARCTICA. MARCH 2001 CLIMATE SUMMARY.

Temperature:
Avg temp................ -54.8 C /-66.6 F 
Departure from normal... -0.8 C /-1.4 F
Max temp................ -39.2 C /- 38.6 F on day 25 
Min temp................ -66.2 C /- 87.2 F on day 15 

Sky cover:
Avg cloud cover (8ths)... 4
Days clear............... 12
Days partly cloudy....... 10
Days cloudy.............. 09

Wind:
Avg wind speed.............. 13.6 mph or 11.8 kts.
Prevailing wind direction... Grid Northeast or 030 degrees.
Max wind.................... 37 mph or 32 kts on day 30.
Max wind direction.......... Grid Northeast.
Avg vectored wind........... 049 degrees at 9.1 knots.

Station pressure:
Avg pressure............ 679.8 mbs or 20.074 in. Hg.
Departure from normal... -1.8 mbs or -0.053 in. Hg.
Highest pressure........ 693.5 mbs or 20.479 in. Hg. on day 25
Lowest pressure......... 670.9 mbs or 19.812 in. Hg. on day 19

Sunshine:
Sunset on 21 March, Sunrise on 22 September 2001
Average hours/day........ 11.5
Percent of possible...... 48%

Snowfall..... Trace; average net change at snow stakes +1.580 inches.

Visibility... 7 days with a visibility of 1/4 mile or less.

Balloon flight data:
Number of soundings for the month... 31 
Avg height of soundings............. 26.5 mbs or 29694 meters above msl.
Highest sounding.................... 1.6 mbs or 47597 meters above msl.
                                     on the day 11/00z sounding.

Remarks:
0 soundings were missed.
28 soundings were terminated above 50 mbs.
1 sounding was terminated between 50 and 100 mbs.
2 soundings were terminated below 100 mbs.

Records:
Day 03 - A new daily low temperature of -61.7C / -79.1F broke the previous record 
         of -58.9C / -74.0F set in 1984.
Day 04 - A new daily low temperature of -61.7C / -79.1F broke the previous record 
         of -58.3C / -72.9F set in 1959.
Day 16 - The daily peak wind of 26 kts / 29 mph tied the previous daily record 
         set in 1973.
Day 28 - The daily peak wind of 31 kts / 36 mph broke the previous daily record 
         of 29 kts / 33 mph set in 1988.

Prepared by: Nathan Tift and Meghan Prentiss